May 15, 2026: Visiting The 18th Century

Last month I was honored to be invited to the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies Conference (ASECS) held in Philadelphia. Dr. Emily Friedman invited both myself and the phenomenal Wehrle brothers (Root, Arcs, John Company, and more good board games than I can name) to discuss our relationships to the 18th century and how the long 18th century continues to influence our design. I focused heavily on Seven-Part Pact's origins as a Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell fan game and why I ultimately chose to step away from that, while Cole and Drew talked about the specificity of John Company, Pax Pamir, and Molly House in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a wonderful time – I got to meet a number of brilliant academics, have compelling conversations with brilliant people, and play the new edition of John Company with Cole Wehrle (an honor I don't have words for!). Thanks so much to ASECS for having me, and if you're in the academic world and spot me, please say hi!

-- Jay Dragon